30 years on, one Simpsons fan discovers a hidden joke we were never meant to hear

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It's a perfectly cromulent joke

The Simpsons
(Image credit: 20th Television)

If you’re anything like us, you’ve committed every Simpsons episode from the first 10 seasons to memory. But there’s one joke you’ve never heard – until now.

On Twitter, video editor @ewzzy isolated and amplified the drowned-out voice of Marge during 1992’s ‘The Otto Show’ when it’s revealed Homer has tinnitus.

In the original version of the third season episode, the joke is that Homer can’t hear anything despite saying going to loud rock concerts – as Bart intends to do – has never affected him.

In the updated version, we can finally hear Marge’s lecture in full: "Make sure they don’t pick up any of the band’s attitude towards women: liquor, religion, politics… really, anything."

On the season 3 DVD commentary, producer and showrunner Al Jean admitted, "It took us a long time to write it and then we mixed it down so nobody could hear it."

@Ewzzy explained that, to find the hidden joke, he used Adobe Audition to identify certain pitched sounds, remove the tones, and boost the leftover sound.

As some Twitters users have pointed out, the joke is also present in various foreign dubs of the show, including Italian and Brazilian Portuguese.

The Simpsons, meanwhile, is still going strong over three decades later. A recent season 35 and season 36 (!) renewal will bring the long-running animated series up to the 800-episode mark.

For more from Springfield’s favorite family, check out our rankings of the best Simpsons episodes ever. If you want more, here are the best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.